I'm a long-distance runner: have you any thoughts about good breakfasts or snacks that will keep me going? I've been trying to drink the green, powdered "superfood" spirulina, but it tastes vile! Dave Jelley, North Yorkshire

When looking for sustained energy for long bouts of exercise, you want foods that will digest over a longer period of time. Blitzing your fruits into a smoothie will break up all the insoluble fibre and speed up its absorption, whereas bacon and egg with some fresh fruit will sustain you for hours and give you the full complement of fats, proteins and carbohydrates that you need.

A great advantage of long-distance running is you can eat really well without worrying too much about weight gain. That said, because your body is continually repairing itself, you need vitamins and minerals, plus the basic proteins, fats and carbs.

A breakfast of wholemeal toast and creamed spinach, topped with a couple of poached eggs, will fuel you all morning, whether you're going running or recovering after a run the day before.

A great snack alternative is hot chocolate: not the sugary and often tasteless variety available on the high street, but a simple blend of warm milk and top-quality cooking chocolate – generally anything around 70% cocoa solids. You need roughly 30g of chocolate per cup of milk – bring the milk to just below boiling and whisk in the chocolate. There is a little sugar to give you that initial boost, but not enough to play havoc with your insulin levels. Then you have the fat and protein in the milk to help fuel and repair you for a couple of hours, as well.

In short, I'd forget the weird and wonderful and make the most of all those delicious foods us mere mortals should be eschewing as we watch our waistlines.

• Sonya Kidney is a chef and the owner of Soda delicatessen, Oxfordshire

Sign up for the Guardian Today

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.